


Age

by AngelynMoon



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Age Alterations, F/M, Gen, Platonic Bed Sharing, Steve is the Baby Avenger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:20:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25083010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelynMoon/pseuds/AngelynMoon
Summary: In which Pepper Potts makes a discovery.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Pepper Potts & Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	Age

Ms. Potts comes to find him after the battle and Steve doesn't know why exactly until she sits him down and explains how things work now.

She explains child labor laws and child placement and she pulls out a copy of his birth certificate, the real one and not the one he forged in order to sign up, the one that even Erskine hadn't found.

Steve looks at Ms. Potts and he feels his age, he feels small and young and entirely foolish under her gaze.

But her eyes are soft, they are kind and understanding and they make Steve miss his mother, they make him miss Bucky and before he knows it he's sobbing and Ms. Potts is folding him into her arms and asking him if he'd like her to handle everything.

He nods and she lets him sob himself into exhaustion in her arms, then she guides him to a room with a large bed into which she tucks him, pressing a kiss to his forehead, leaving a soft light on and the door open a crack as she leaves and Steve falls asleep.

He wakes when he hears loud voices, angry and stubborn.

Part of him knows better than to go towards the voices, the other part of him is scared for Ms. Potts so he gets up, taking the blanket with him and he flinches at the shattering of glass and now he's worried.

Ms. Potts and Stark both stop when they notice him in the doorway.

"Go back to bed, sweetheart." Ms. Potts tells him but Steve doesn't move.

He's sure Stark wouldn't hurt Ms. Potts but he also remembers the way he once thought Mr. Barnes wouldn't hurt Mrs. Barnes back when he was younger and the first time that he saw Bucky step between Mrs. Barnes and Mr. Barnes' fist.

Steve stares at them and Ms. Potts lets out a sigh, "Come here, sweetie, we were just talking, Tony was across the room and making noise, he dropped a glass." 

Steve goes to her, lets her wrap her arms around him but manages to place himself between her and Stark.

"Pepper? Not questioning anything about us but why was Cap' in our bed?" Stark asked as he got another drink.

"Tony." Ms. Potts said sternly as she sat on the couch.

"Seriously, not accusing you, just curious." Stark held up his hands.

"Steve is only seventeen, Tony." Ms. Potts said.

The glass in Stark's hand fell to the floor, "He's what age?"

"I was looking for his records, so I could add him to the payroll that Fury insists goes through you when I found his mother's hospitalization records and the birth certificate she was issued, I compared it to the one the military has on record and the one the military has is fake." Ms. Potts explained, "Which means that Steve needs a temporary guardian. And I need to talk with Fury about his record keeping."

"Why would you lie, Steve?" Stark asked, voice softer than Steve had ever heard.

"I..., Bucky had to go and I didn't have anyone else, I didn't want to be left behind." Steve looked at the floor, "Bucky was all I had."

"Right." Stark said, "Right, alright, we can do this, it's just a year right?"

Ms. Potts frowned and so did Steve.

"What are you talking about?" Ms. Potts asked.

"Me and you being his guardians." Stark said, "If we let Fury know before we establish that he could hand Steve over to whoever and still send him on missions, and what about school? He needs to go to school."

Steve opened his mouth.

"I know you'll want to help and we'll talk on a mission to mission basis because you, sir have other things to worry about besides the safety of the world and this is not a discussion and dear lord I've become my mother." Stark said as he collapsed on the chair across from them.

Steve giggled then hid his face in Ms. Potts' shoulder.

"Well, it's better than my father, I guess." Stark sighed.

"We should get some sleep, we can talk more in the morning." Ms. Potts decided and guided Steve up as she felt him yawn into her shoulder.

"He's coming with us?" Stark asked.

"Where else can he go, the rest of the Tower is a disaster zone." Ms. Potts gave Stark a look.

"Right then." Stark said. "Let's go to bed then."

And that was how Steve found himself tucked up under Ms. Potts' chin between her and Stark, their voices lulling him into a deeper and more restful sleep. 

As he drifted off with Stark's fingers petting his hair and Ms. Potts' chest vibrating under his ear as she spoke Steve couldn't help wondering if this was what it was like having a mother and a father, not that his mom hadn't done her best but he'd been so young when she died, when Bucky had snuck him into the Barnes house to look after him instead of letting him go to the orphanage that he barely remembered her.

If it was, then Steve quite liked the feeling, even if Stark made him give up Captain America it be worth it to have them as parents.

And for the first time since waling up in this century Steve didn't have nightmares or if he did they were soothed away by gentle voices and comforting caresses.

\---  
A/n: just a silly thing I thought about since Steve is actually one of the younger Avengers, Natasha being the other young one at the same age. 

And me thinking that if Steve is willing to lie about his town then he'd probably be willing to lie about his age too and thus this fic was born and Steve is the Baby Avenger.

This was the prompt I gave myself: Fic idea where Steve Roger not only lied about where he was from but his age as well, part of why Bucky's so pissed and protective over him.

Basically Steve is caught about where he's from but not the age thing. And it turns out that he's underage when he signs on to Erskine's project.

Cue the Avengers' reactions to Steve barely being seventeen when Pepper discovers Steve's birth certificate in her process to get him a paycheck for his work with SHIELD as well as other organizations.

Didn't quite get the rest of the Avengers' reactions but well.

Also, Happy Birthday Steve Roger, I suppose.


End file.
